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Leading a company takes vision and a major commitment, not unlike marriage--and being happily married translates very well into the boardroom. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As the editor of a marriage publication I'm buried in research and statistics about the good, bad and ugly regarding our unions. One thing that has been consistent over the years, however, is how beneficial a happy marriage is to a person's health—including mental, physical, financial and other ways. If you really want to excel in the boardroom, take care of your needs and responsibilities in your own living room first. Here are four reasons that being happily married could make you a better CEO.

1. When you live longer you can accomplish more goals. First, being married isn't a cure all, the key is to be happily married. Saying that, those who are happily married live longer, healthier lives than those who are divorced, unhappily married or single. In fact, researchers from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana compiled many studies and published, "The Impact of the Family on Health: The Decade in Review" and found that non-married women have a 50% higher mortality rate than married women while non-married men have a remarkable 250% higher mortality rate than married men. There are many, many studies before and since that have all come to the same conclusion—happily married people, in general, live longer.

While those on Wall Street like to think about quarterly results, a CEO needs to think of the long term picture, and that means living long enough to execute your full vision.

2. You have to communicate. In order to have a happy marriage, you must be able to communicate effectively. Research shows the benefits mentioned above are negated for couples who keep things bottled up. The California Healthy Marriage Coalition, a group partially funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, has compiled research showing that women who reported "keeping their mouths shut" during conflict with their spouse had four times the risk of dying from heart disease over a 10-year follow-up study. In addition, couples in conflict took longer to heal from all kinds of physical wounds and injuries (hopefully not from each other)—up to 40% longer!

Being able to discuss the most intimate, personal and complex issues in a constructive manner at home will make handling that scheduling conflict in the office a walk in the park. Whether at home or in the office, a good relationship requires two-way communication.

3. You can tackle conflict. Dr. Terri Orbuch has been following hundreds of married couples since 1986 for her landmark marriage study, "The Early Years of Marriage Project" (EYM) and found that couples who avoided conflict were not very happy over time—a sentiment touched upon above. Happy couples are those who release the pressure of toxic emotions and confront the issues bothering them.

In a workplace environment, a successful CEO can't keep quiet about troubling items and expect them to just go away. These issues (if the CEO can keep his/her job long enough) will eventually surface and the discontent will be felt from the top down.

4. Affirmation can prevent divorce. From the same EYM study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Orbuch's team found that when husbands were affirmed or made to feel special by their wives, they were less likely to divorce over time. This sounds like a simple finding, but if you're currently unhappily married, try to think of the last time your spouse said something affirming about you that made you feel special (or vice versa)—you'll likely find it's been a while.

As a CEO, it is your responsibility to keep the masses happy and to affirm a job well done—particularly in today's economic climate where workers are asked to do more with much, much less. If you want to prevent a divorce from your employees embrace the tools you've acquired at home and make them feel special by affirming their work.